Me I Disconnect from You!

So, this will be short and sweet and if you guessed that the title is a Gary Numan Song, you have probably guessed my mood, I seem to have fallen out of love with being a social media whore!

I have been disgruntled over the last few weeks with “my” status on various platforms and how much social interaction I actually have with my actual friends (that’s people who I actually know in the real world) on line, I’m not expecting to be the centre of attention (that’s what the blog was for) but I am aware that I have little actual social interaction even with stuff that I post for humour, so I have decided to do a small social experiment,  the fact that I am telling you all my plan, must give an indication of my intent.

I’m not depressed, I’m not attention seeking, I’m somebody who is trying to connect or should that read as reconnect on a human level with the world, I have been grumpy most of my life and it’s something I want to change, the blog is not the answer, I thought it was but it appears that I am fooling myself, so for the moment I intend to suspend all connections (well sort of) to the modern age, no blogging no posting album covers no humorous pictures, no ranting or raving, no liking of pictures, you get the picture, I will be here, I will be checking messages but I intend not to instigate any interaction, I will respond to messages, I’m not a philistine!

I have a few issues and I think technology is feeding them, I had a witty exchange with the wife on Sunday which nearly ended up being world war 3, something I’m keen to avoid, and I believe it’s a chemical dependency on technology, well that’s my excuse, and I intend to stick with it, will I keep writing I believe I will, I have a nearly completed month 5 Blog 95% completed and it won’t get posted……. not in its current form. Am I done with the blog? I don’t think so, you never can tell with me, on Sunday I could write up a storm and post 32 blogs (ok a slight exaggeration) in one go, however I need to shake my approach to both my real and my virtual life, so this is not the long goodbye, this is simply Toodles until the next time!

Enid Blyton Damn you to hell!

Enid Blyton Damn you to hell....actually I’d rather you didn’t I was a sickly kid when I should have been taught to read and write at school, and because I wasn’t there it had a negative effect on my early school life I sort of got left behind in the wake of everybody else.

So my mother took it upon herself to “help” me (that just meant more lessons when I got home) now my handwriting to this day is not what you would call the best (but I do mean well hahaha) not like my brothers who has the neatest handwriting I have ever seen and I do mean ever! But reading with the right nudge was slightly different, I picked that up pretty quickly in fact I was soon leaps and bounds ahead of the rest of my year, once the penny dropped I enrolled in my local “kids” library and soon ploughed through about 90% of their entire stock in the space of two years I devoured just about everything in my way I was taken to the library twice a week in the school term more in the holidays, I remember one summer holiday getting books out on the morning and reading them before close of play and taking them back (only because we were visiting relatives and it was on the way) and being told off by the senior librarian (who was in a huff because he had been there all day) “wasting peoples time if I hadn’t wanted to read them I shouldn’t take them home” at which point my mother stepped forward and ripped him a new one informing him that if he didn’t believe me about me reading them ask me pertinent questions about the books in question, when he said that wasn’t necessary, my mother rounded on me and fired a number of questions at me, which I answered without a hitch. Me and Mr. Scott got on great after that.

At the age of eleven I applied for a senior library card (you had to be fourteen in Gimpsville’s library) and Mr. Scott give me a letter of commendation (They did things differently back in the day and not all bad) and I had to go before some old codgers and demonstrate what I intended to read, they were flabbergasted that I wanted to read everything, not just gory things, I only applied because in the junior library I could only get three books out at a time, but on a senior card I could get six, now at this point I was getting three out on my mum’s card weekly which was eating into her own reading habit, but I think I inherited my love of reading from her, I didn’t watch much TV at all as a kid something the wife looks at me as though I am  the anti Christ, but reading for me is special I can lose myself in the thrill of a different world, place in time in history, you get more detail from books than you could ever from watching the TV.

By the age of fourteen I had read everything I wanted to at Gimpsville's library (I did keep clear of the vast collection of Mills & Boon selection) but if it had even the vague hint of anything interesting within the covers I was like a cheap suit and was all over it. Thanks to Mr. Scott he got certain sections rotated more than other libraries in the area (anything historical) and he did indeed broaden my horizons from a book reading stand point he guided me to books with a more adult theme that where easier to read rather than just diving in! He was just what you need when you start out in the big bad world of reading.

When he retired after about forty years he gave an interview with the local paper saying that “it was people like” and he named a few people me being one of them saying that we made the job worth what it was, I like to think that I helped him as much as he helped me, when he initially had a go at me he came across as a bitter and twisted old man, who was jaded and hated his job, but as we got to know each other it soon became apparent it was just frustration with what he thought was his inability to influence where he worked(we all know what that feels like) sadly he died about four months after he retired apparently he had been injured fighting for queen and country and had never had the best of health.

I devoured books, apart from finding out where the nearest record shop was whenever I moved the next important thing was a good second hand book shop so I could buy and sell, the one thing I wish I hadn’t left when I got divorced were the forty boxes full of books (1433 books according to my ex sister in law) in the loft of my house, they were given to the local charity shop (not that I minded at least they weren’t burnt like all my photographs) there were no first editions or anything amongst them (hahaha I had took them with me) I always carried with me a rucksack with me and it always had a good half dozen books with me and if I got bored with any particular tome I threw it in the bag and went off to some other mood.

In recent years my ability to read for long periods of time has been greatly affected by the amount I read at work (legal documents and the such like) and I will admit to being too tired to read and although I actually bought some books this time last year I still haven’t got around to reading them (I know I know you can all stop shouting at me). Over the years I have become obsessed with my little books, this will be part of book five in the space of nearly as many months, the amount of time of writing then polishing and then rewriting them for another twenty times (I exaggerate it just seems to be twenty its actually only about seventeen) sometimes I write stuff and polish it to within an inch of its life only to delete because I think it’s drivel(it’s probably better than some of the things I have published but paranoia keeps creeping in hahaha) and with doing the blog I need to try and make sure that I have a fresh perspective, this being creative can be quite exhausting I look forward to the end of June when I give myself a rolling programme of no more than two new books a year (they are not exactly huge....the books that is!) so don’t say that you haven’t been warned then there is the potential (time wise) for me to do two things hopefully go back to reading books on a regular basis and then work on my own work of fiction which I intend to work on and polish and polish, thats the intention it’s taken me a number of years to get to where I am now with it, the hard part will be finding an actual “voice” in which to tell the story ah well it will keep me off the streets I suppose! Until next time Toodles 

Once again

I am a ditz! Trust me its official I haven’t got a clue and as I get older I get worse! The wife and the youngest are indeed the I T department of our house I’m usually OK if I’m shown but if I have to read about something and then physically do it (not a cat in hells chance) it just won’t happen every time I go publish my books I know I will scratch my head and try and work out how I did it in the first place a true WTF moment.

Was I always like this no not really, but as I get older I become more impatient and have a tendency to rush headlong into things (that’s how I screwed up my website) I look at G who takes his time and is methodical in most things and seems to have a grasps on the mechanics of life the universe and everything that goes with it! Me I’m a total ditz if I took a breath I would probably do alright, I was all right in the army stripping weapons and stuff like that because it was always a practical demonstration although I doubt I would be able to strip out a magazine these days never mind strip a weapon down.

My camera is a prime example I know somebody who has the same camera and uses it to take pictures at concerts which are usually pretty damn good, mine look like I’m having an epileptic seizure with only one out of ten being any good, and he won’t tell us how he does it bless that’s one of the reasons he’s no longer a friend, me if I know how to do something and somebody wants to know I have no issues with telling anybody maybe it’s because I’m such a nice guy hahaha! Or potentially just a bloody soft touch!

The wife is like a dog with a bloody bone and won’t let anything go she is tenacious, me I just go Basil Fawlty on stuff, trash it throw it in the bin and move on, I know that it’s not a good personality trait but what can I do about it nowadays it’s is far too late to teach this old dog new tricks.

Somebody actually said to me I was born too late (I believe I may have said this in an earlier blog/book not that I can remember I am old you know) that I would have been better off born in the forties, I would at least have an excuse for my technophobia, now it’s just because I’m a dumb ass, I was surprised I actually passed the fire extinguisher exam, not that it’s a particularly hard thing to do you could train a monkey to do it in ten minutes granted it took me twenty hahaha but passed I did with a great sigh of relief, I could have lost my job at the time if I hadn’t (I certainly would not have been flavour of the month I know that).

The wife loves gadgets she is presently trying to get me sell my gall bladder for some new piece of technology and she is not a sharer (thank god), we will have to see if I can grow a fresh one before Christmas, anything new and she lusts after it hell we had two (yes two) TiVo’s long before virgin media got their hands on them, we got her a Kitchenaid mixer and I’m sure we will have cakes once again, sometime soon. In the near future or maybe just before the new millennium! I better stop now before she beats me to death with either a TiVo or even the Kitchenaid. Until the next time ...........................Toodles!

Month Four

2^nd. The holiday nearly over and with the exception of one day it has been yet another disaster, the wife her foot in a boot and in a lot of pain, this time not caused by me…...at least I don’t think so. Today I have get my head back in the game, I have no idea what I’m going back into, I have avoided all manner of work over the last 9 days, something I rarely do, I am dreading going away on my course next weekend, I’m away to Wembley on a crowd control course, the course I can do standing on my head, I simply have no desire to go away, I would rather sit in my back room in the dark, oh dear is the order of the day! A lazy day ahead, a little cooking and sorting out everything I need to, clean shoes and the such like, I really do lead an exciting life, the keen eyed of you will noticed that we have started on the 2^nd of the month, although we had the hurricane for most of the day, he was the only bright spot in my black soul, I was left to my own devices for most of the evening in the back room (I’m Batman….LOL) for once the wife didn’t ask me any silly questions, I believe she took the hint, I am slightly better today let’s hope music can indeed lift the spirit. (Album of the day Tytan – Rough Justice).

5^Th. The week has dragged on and we are like boxers in our respective corners the wife always picks little fights before I go away for work, paying for the sins of the previous husband is my belief, that usually sets off a world war, must be true then! We prowled around the house for the best part of the night the only time we were in sync was when we sorted what I was taking clothes wise, money had been sorted (I wasn’t taking any) if I needed anything it was to be on the card so that’s a no then, as she knows I would rather gnaw my foot off then use the card for work stuff (it takes ages to get the bloody money back), once the bag was sorted we tried to act like adults, it was a poor impersonation, but at least we tried I was late to bed which was bad for me as I had an early rise! No music today so that hasn’t helped, sleep better make me a happier person.

6^th. Well that didn’t last long and it didn’t help me at all, grumpy was the mood of the day, my lift was on time and I got to grips with technology as it was the start of training season I had two sessions early on before I headed over to the dark side, thankfully all went well and I was able to get to Poundland for some supplies for the trip down south.

The team met up at Newcastle’s central station and we were kept pretty much together for the trip there and the actual trip was uneventful until we had to get the tube, talk about being fish out water we knew where we were going we just wanted to make sure, so we asked a member of the tube staff , twat only sent us in the wrong direction, yes it got us to Wembley but then we had a two mile walk to the hotel, not the 256 metres we would have walked if we had got to the correct station, ah well you live and learn, the reason why I’m not bitching is simply because none of us would have probably got us within two mile never mind as close as we wanted to be. At least we got to see the local ambience of Wembley!

Booking in was another nightmare as all of the staff and I do mean all of the staff were not English, so the language barrier was evident, the staff were great it’s just we were all from the north of England if you get my drift, I still struggled to find my room (nothing new there then) once I was there we had to rush to get changed as we were supposed to be at the venue for the start of the course, thankfully there was an evening meal as I didn’t want to dip into my supplies just yet (hard tack is not an easy swallow) back to the hotel for just after 21.00 and I headed for my room as I wasn’t about to pay £5 a pint, well it wasn’t the fact that I didn’t want to I simply couldn’t afford to.

7^th. Up early and a great shower, it was time to get stuck into my hard tack for breakfast (two Kit Kats) the breakfast which by all accounts was lovely also happened to be £16 even I can’t eat £16 worth of food in one sitting, ok maybe in my younger days but I am trying to be a good boy, we then headed off to the course and the day was a good one a lovely lunch, thankfully the day was a long one and most people wanted to have a shower so I was able to escape before people wanted to head off for beer, and when the questioned was asked I answered truthfully and said I had offered to complete the project for the next day, I did and I even spent most of the night polishing it(you know how much l labour over the blogs I labour  a damn sight more over work) and I was glad to climb into my big hotel bed and starfish off into the land of slumber. No time for music today it was all work work work!

8^th. I was up with the larks to see a stunningly beautiful sunrise, it was a great moment one of the ones where you are glad to be alive, another long shower and a second Kit Kat breakfast, this was the part of the course I was looking forward to, and the day was great an early start but we finished off just before kick off between Saracens and Harlequins, who knew my first rugby game and I will admit to enjoying it, enough food for everybody that could have sunk a battleship (more of that later on) and free beer WTF, unfortunately it was Carlsberg which was nice, however Lager doesn’t agree with me free or otherwise, so I had a couple then stuck to the lemonade and sat at the back of the box making notes for this section of the blog! See my dedication to you the dedicated reader knows no bounds!

We headed back to the hotel and I claimed that I had eaten enough (which actually was quite true) so while they went off on a jolly jaunt looking for an eatery I lay back with a nice cup of tea and watched the film Battleship and was soon asleep, only to be woken every hour on the hour and I hunted high and low for the bloody noise.

9^th. I found the bloody nuisance the next morning when I opened the curtains to take in the glory of yet another awesome sunrise, the maid (that sounds so posh) had left the window open, the reason I couldn’t make out what it was, (turns out it was a car alarm,) was simply because I was ten floors up what a dumb ass, the final Kit Kat breakfast, another glorious shower then to check out, a shorter trip to the tube station and then safely ensconced in Kings Cross onto a train in our seats only to be told that the train was broken and we had to run across the station to claim any seats that we could, the team were scattered to the winds, I ended up with a family of three, thankfully I went for my default position (sleeping) I was soon home back into the arms of my loved ones, erm well I was met cordially and the day slowly evaporated I was looking forward to my bed as I simply hadn’t had enough sleep during the day. Again, no music but it didn’t really matter as I don’t think it would have helped me today!

10^th. A day off in lieu although I feel as though I had wasted it by doing sweet bugger all, did some reading and a lot of eating, I wasn’t in a good place I’m so glad I didn’t go to work today!

11^th. An early day at work with four training courses running back to back it was a busy day and thankfully I was glad of it although I could have done without the late finish as this was my Monday at work tomorrow thankfully would be my Friday damn I hate these long weeks, music featured on the way home thankfully as the plague carrier was full of scum! (Album of the day – Nazareth Hair of the dog).

12^th. An early start but thankfully a quick finish, don’t worry still an eight hour shift, more music and an actually good day with most things going the right way for a change, home to an evening of sloth, or so I thought as the Hurricane arrived and thankfully when we got his interest it was a worthwhile evening. (Album of the day – Steve Walsh  Glossolalia).   

16^th. My writing has been missing in action these last couple of days, blackness has been at the centre of my thoughts , nothing dangerous just nothing positive, I thought that writing would create more negativity, let’s be honest I’m trying to climb out of that particular cess pit, hopefully work will lift my spirits, that’s my intention, not listening to any music at the moment, as I have been totally disinterested I might start with my album of the day, I rarely get past that as the day trudges on.

19^th. I was wrong work hasn’t helped, although I am getting on with the tasks in hand, but my fake smile has been nailed on to my face, still giving my all, just not enjoying it like I normally do, I’m not going to attempt to make small talk I’m down just not out, darkness is the name of the game.

22^nd. The sun is splitting my sky the Hurricane arrived at full tilt and with it he has brought happiness into my dark soul, the day started with the wife at the hospital, once home though we awaited with all storm hatches battened down, he was simply what the doctor ordered, even though he is a cheeky mite (well he is only 6 and has a tendency to answer questions rather truthfully) the night goes over to quickly not too worry he will have us up soon enough.

23^rd. well actually not that soon as it appears, but once up he was back in full on hurricane and soon him and the wife are shouting at each other (all in good fun) I got him to help me make the Sunday dinner, even though he didn’t want to eat much of it himself and then just like that he was back off home, thankfully the goodwill lasted……. well for a while!

24^th. Back to work that’s all I can really say for the day, a real early start and early to home but sitting on a bus on a sunny day with the heating on didn’t help matters, the night didn’t bode well and although it wasn’t that early considering the time I had to get up I was glad of hitting the hay when I did, no music again today, I have to break the back of this particular black mood it’s been with me far too long.

25^th. Work saved the day today, I was busy and I enjoyed it, it seems like forever but I think I’m finally over the hill, a couple of annoying emails seemed to kick me in the ass, and then it was time to go a hunting, a reality quiet night in and I’m once more looking forward to my pit but for a change I’m also looking forward to getting up in the morning. (Album of the day – Judas Priest Stained class).

28^th. The work plodded on and then it was the final day of the week, I was happy I could see the weekend, for what reason I have no idea, I was just glad to have the week over, a day of teaching and trying to catch up with work related items between courses, the finish line finally crossed, I simply had to endure a car ride home with the Kraken thankfully not as bad as it could have been, no hurricane tonight, so a leisurely evening. (Album of the day - Montrose Paper Money).

29^th Another early hospital appointment for the wife’s foot, well the doctor he claims it’s getting better, I’m not seeing it, a kick in the goolies when the wife learns that she doesn’t earn enough to get sick pay, a great feeling when you realise there has been nothing put in the bank to pay her bills, you would think her company would tell her, a day of frantically trying to work out how we are going to actually pay those bills! Thankfully the day moved on  and I overdosed on anything Lemon, go figure! The rest of the day ended up being sloth like, we were happy with that. (Album of the day – Aerosmith  Rocks).

30^th. For some reason this month has been decidedly shite, I don’t know why it has been it simply has. the black cloud though thankfully has been left in my wake like a Somalian Pirate in the wake of this tanker, let’s hope it lasts. And so to the coming month, let’s have a better month and I hope everybody has a great bank holiday, until the next time……….Toodles!

One step forward

Apathy rules………I suppose, this is something I’m used to because at times I just can’t be arsed...ooops! What I meant to say is that probably I’m not like everybody else I wake up some mornings and I just really can’t be arsed ....ooops done it again!

Well almost because to be honest I can always be bothered to write some kind of crap I seem to be always jotting something down these days with the hope of sitting down and expanding my weird thoughts of the day. I’m not a fan of apathy, if I’m honest it usually means I’m down in the dumps and that in itself means that I will start rooting around in the cupboard to eat random crap, and with my weight issues that’s not a good thing! Even with all the weight I have lost recently I am only too aware of how easy it is to put it back on! I’m not even sure if everybody feels the blues, gets in a funk and all the other clichés that generally go with this particular mood I hope not because it’s not the best mood in the world to be in, I’m also not a fan because the wife goes into mother hen mode when in actual fact if she left me be I would probably come out the other side the happy go lucky person that I always am, hang on I need to call an ambulance I think the wife is having a fit!

Not all people are happy campers and by that I don’t mean that they are suicidal or even killers, it’s a fact some people have a blue attitude to life in general, I like to think that I’m usually happy 95% of the time from when I wake up and yes I may slide through the course of the day but generally I’m ok I don’t wander around with a grin on my mush but I’m ok, then you get people going “cheer up it might never happen” or “what’s up” now that does get irritating, I am always wary of people who are “up” all the time it’s not natural. Apathy is usually the breeding ground of my neurosis, even after completing a course of CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy)  it feeds off my inability to get motivated, now this can come in a number of forms usually people not giving a rats ass, either that does affect me, people going their own sweet way when in reality we don’t have the time to do that something that needs to be done, just simply get on with it, this affects me both personally and professionally, I know I’m not the world and everybody doesn’t revolve around my sweet being, but sometimes and I mean sometimes this does indeed bring me down, mainly though I go with the flow these days because it really isn’t worth the grief.

Now the bad old days, they were different it affected my friendships my first marriage, everything just had to be right, come hell or high water and I know this drove some people absolutely nuts!  Hopefully since then I have learnt my lesson, I know I drive my wife totally nuts about being on time (my life is ruled by time it has since I could tell the time and got my first watch), but generally I’m ok if I could find a happy medium I would, but I just probably drive this wife up the wall because even if I’m a little bit driven I’m annoying, so it’s back to going downhill and being apathetic ....again!

Apathy generally rears its ugly head when I have a few days off (no really, I suppose I need to find a hobby something like golf, cough…. splutter …..fuck no)and I have no clear game plan on what I intend to do, now I usually have a list of tasks that I want to do but apathy rugby tackles me and makes me lose focus, I sit with my thumbs twiddling and generally being annoying (just for information I’m really good at this...allegedly) having said that being industrious also has side effects you end up doing stuff that other people intended to do and then this starts to gnaw at you (I have to admit this generally happens at work when people who are getting well paid to be industrious are lazy t***s) and then that can be worse than apathy, anger management issues are far worse than apathy (and since I was a kid loads of people told me that I had anger management issues) so maybe apathy isn’t that bad at all!

Apathy is much worse when you infect everybody around you with the same issues and then you become a group of sloths not wanting to upset the apple carts of those who are being apathetic, because if you awake the sleeping giant well that’s no good either, so a happy medium has to be found just enough so not to tip you off into the world of maudlin (see I have done an official study) now I know that some people think I’m a misery all the time (hello Wife and family, friends and the outside world) I’m not and after you have met me a few times I’m sure that you will know that really sometimes I’m just apathetic, it’s not rocket science and I’m sure that you won’t mind me just going with the flow and hopefully we can all get along just fine.

I also think that apathy comes along on a more regular basis as you get older (hey I’m old I can say that) before I was just angry (honest I used to be, I’m a really placid person nowadays) so I think I will get more and more apathetic as time starts to flow by, I suppose I will just have to live with it and if you can as well that will be fine and dandy, just don’t try and harsh my mellow and I won’t try and harsh yours.

Now anybody who can write (drivel) for over twelve hundred words can’t be that apathetic I hear you say, well to be honest that’s exactly why I started writing this piece because I was feeling just that and I could see the wife building up to go to full mother hen mode (or even something worse) so the laptop was switched on and I generally picked at the first word that sprang to mind and seeing how it was the mood I was in I thought I would do whatever I could do to get out of my funk!  so I typed and I read then I adjusted and rewrote and reread and generally played about with this for the odd hour then I walked away scratched my butt came back and gave it just a little polish and at the end of it I was fine and this piece was written, is it any good? I’m sure if it’s not somebody at some point will take me to one side and tell me (that was shit!) in a polite way, but I can live with that, this isn’t going to fix the world, that was never the intention, but it just might fix me and in the long term that’s exactly what I’m hoping to do, now I could have done this as whimsical piece of poetry (WTF) but in the grand scheme of things I think it’s better suited to a blog sometimes you have to do a short thing to help get the long thing done and today that’s exactly what I did! Until the next time incoming……………Toodles!

Sold my soul to the company store

Life is hard and then you die or so I’m told, don’t believe all that you hear work is as hard as it needs to be, some jobs are shit trust me, I know I have had some real crap ones hahaha.

As I have said previously in many books and blogs times were hard in our house hold after my dad buggered off into his own little world and my mum for want of a better word was punished by the system. Why? Because she was honest, she didn’t want anything for nothing but she did find it hard to be told we would be better off if we were put into care, that was never an option and at the age of eleven my brother went and got a paper round so that he could have some money in his pocket, soon he had all six morning rounds where we lived and he gave half his earnings to my mum which made me feel crap so I went to the same shop as my brother (I was eight) did the papers for and Alan the guy owning it had to turn me down, the paper bags were bigger than me and whether he took pity on me or not he let me stack shelves and sort papers out all the little odd jobs and he paid me well, I used to get fifty pence a week, I was there whenever the shop was open so I think he got the best part of the bargain, when I got older I ended up doing all the paper rounds for the night time and my brother and me split the Sunday rounds we worked hard.

Through the summer months one of my dad’s friends  would check in on us and as he was a builder he would use me and my brother to do prep work for him digging paths up and helping with fences that kind of work and again he paid us fairly for what we did, it wasn’t to last as we soon had studies to do as well as other things that kids did in those days especially living in the countryside as we did, I had no complaints times were hard but we were honest and I did believe that’s all you needed to get by in the world.

Since the age of five all I had wanted to do was become a soldier and at the age of thirteen I got my placement I was going to join the junior leaders at Shorncliffe Barracks when I left school so consequently I didn’t really try at school I wasn’t a bad kid but I had my dream job I didn’t need any qualifications I had my place (oh dear) so you can imagine how happy I was when I was medically discharged a lunatic in the third degree with no idea what to do work wise with only a few decent exam results (the lessons I loved) thankfully the army got me a placement with a local electrical company, but because I could string two words together (just) I was put in the wholesale side of things and then moved through the firm until I ended up in the Bicycle department (the guy who owned the company would sell anything) but it soon got the better of me it was too easy to go to the pub and I tended to be belligerent with people who lied to the owner when they didn’t get what they wanted, the final straw was when the owners dad who played Santa in the store came in completely rat arsed and I was bundled into the outfit with a cushion for the belly, I probably scarred those kids for life hahaha soon after I had to go for another medical with the army and they were worried about my social interaction so they got me a placement working with the local NCB forestry department, I have to admit I loved the job and studied hard for my exams to be accepted into college, but it wasn’t to last (good things rarely did) and budget cuts put paid to my ambitions, but as if by magic my musical career took off, and again if you have read my previous drivel you will know how that turned out.

When work would dry up I would come home and do what was knocking around the doors sometimes cash in hand to keep below the radar sometimes proper jobs to be actually be on the radar, ! did some labouring bits and pieces and usually spent what I earnt (come on boys and girls I wasn’t used to having money) travelling to see bands and generally being a waster hahahaha, then I worked part time as an outdoor activities instructor teaching map reading, skiing, canoeing and water skiing that kind of thing but it was part time and although I loved it, it was never going to pay my bills and then all of a sudden everything stopped.

 So I took a job as a cleaner I had a mortgage at this point so needs must, I intended to stay a few weeks because I honestly thought that the legal log jam that was affecting my music career wouldn’t last, how wrong could I be and it was the death knell to my musical career so I stayed and I got married and the chance to join the technical services team (me with my reputation) and then I got divorced and the money was ok I could do whatever I really needed to, then I got made semi skilled because I was doing the same work as the tradesmen, and then I met my wife and it made sense as it was a readymade family unit and overtime was a plenty, but it soon wasn’t perfect and just as I was starting to look I got the offer to become an assistant supervisor and shortly after that to become the actual supervisor I have always had a good work ethic, I must have been doing something right because I was promoted over the self same tradesmen who thought that they were so much better than me, but I soon again had the dancing feet routine and again  I wanted to move on I felt I had gone as far as I could(oh how wrong was I on that one) and just as I was about to hand my notice in when from totally out of left field I was offered my current job to be the fire safety officer (again me with my reputation) of a rather large shopping centre in the north of England and if I’m honest it’s a job I love, I have done more education in the last 11 and a bit years than I thought I would ever have to, including a management course, starting my fire diploma getting a teaching qualification (ME yes ME) getting my advanced fire managers course, health and safety qualifications, team leading qualifications, become a FETA qualified engineer and a member of not one but two professional organisations (where the hell did I go wrong) it hasn’t been easy and at times it has been very stressful and I know I am only just starting out on this road and I will have to fight long and hard to keep my footing this really is just the start if only I had been clever enough to have a cunning plan when I was a tad younger, oh but for the grace god go I.

I do have to be careful that I don’t allow work to overtake my life because if I wanted to I could stay there for far longer than I should and that’s only good for the employer who pays my salary and rarely gives me the lieu time that I should be claiming back (the curse of the north east of England) but things are moving at such a fast pace sometimes I don’t know how to balance the things that are so important to me, the wage is good for what I do and has (hopefully) the chance to improve just a little but let’s be honest how many people have worked in the same place for nearly 31 years and had a pay rise every single year not many I would wager. My work ethic has to be honest what has got me through some very dodgy times since I left her majesty’s armed forces and who knows what awaits ahead of me more work for sure I doubt retirement is on the cards (unless I do win the lottery) one foot in front of the other until it gets to the end of the road working to the best of my ability for as long as I can possibly can, does that make me stupid? probably but that is just the way I have been brought up there’s not a lot I can do to change that I just wish I could leave some in the tank for when I get home but that’s for another blog. Until the next time ……..Toodles!

The silence is deafening!

Here’s a curveball for you all, the blog (or should that be revamped chapters of Piffle Balderdash & Waffle) have been filling in for me as I tackle the long blog.

The numbers have been through the roof (you should have bought the book ya cheap bastards) and even though I have revamped the chapters and brought them bang up to date, you the reader seem have to have gone on walkabout, there is very little interaction, not even abuse (I don’t want any, you will just be ignored or told to fuck off) everybody and I mean everybody has gone off the grid……WTF!

Now I will not be posting every chapter from the book, some of those chapters were wrote purely for the people who were prepared to buy the book, and as a consequence were incredibly personnel, as I knew that the readership of the books would be less than 10% of the blogs readership, and hey I was just about right.

I’m not writing these to make loads of new friends, I do this as a way of anger management (well that’s what they started out as) and they have turned into what it is today (don’t ask as I haven’t got a clue……….what do you mean it shows) but to go from responding to high double figures to zero is a little disconcerting, ah well gripe over, you can go back to whatever you were doing before I so rudely interrupted you all……………………Toodles!